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The Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, developed by Wiggins and McTighe, offers a systematic approach to curriculum planning that emphasizes profound comprehension and transferable knowledge. UbD employs a three-stage "backward design" model—identifying desired outcomes, establishing assessment evidence, and orchestrating learning experiences—transcending mere rote content delivery. It underscores fundamental inquiries, learner-centered exploration, and genuine performance as indicators of authentic comprehension. Educators are perceived as facilitators and mentors who assist in the construction of meaning rather than merely conveying content. Based on cognitive research, UbD provides a pragmatic and adaptable framework for educators seeking to create cohesive, intentional, and stimulating learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom.

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「Classification of Learning Theories - Fig 1」は、学習に関する理論が大きく4つに分けて整理されていて、とても見やすかったです。私は普段教員ではないのですが、教育に関する内容に触れるなかで、「聞いたことがあるけど詳しくは知らない」理論がどこに位置づけられているのかが分かりやすく、すっきり整理されました。

それぞれの理論が、どんな考え方に基づいているのか、どう違うのかも構造的に見えてきて、単なる用語の暗記ではなく、全体のつながりを理解する助けになりました。今後、教育に関わる議論や資料を読むときの前提知識として役立ちそうです。

The “Classification of Learning Theories - Fig 1” clearly organizes different learning theories into four major categories, which made it easy to follow. Although I’m not a teacher, I often come across educational content, and this diagram helped me understand where some familiar terms fit within the broader framework.

It also clarified how each theory differs structurally and what kind of thinking each one is based on. Rather than just memorizing terms, I felt like I gained a better grasp of how everything connects. I think this will be a helpful reference when engaging with education-related discussions or materials in the future.

*Prompt: Translate into English without changing the tone or intent or adding and information.

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MYP Planning Meet-up with Damian Rentoule

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MYP Planning Meet-up with Damian Rentoule

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In the hour-long clip, school leader and writer Damian Rentoule lays down the necessary points to consider for unit planning in the MYP. They are as follows:

statement of inquiry

inquiry questions

summative assessment

approaches to learning

content

learning process

learning experiences and teaching strategies

formative assessment

differentiation

resources

reflection

I found his explanation very clear and useful. I'll refer to this if/when I need to create a unit planner for an MYP class.

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My thoughts regarding Approaches to Planning

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My thoughts regarding Approaches to Planning

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I have been working in companies for program management for years. When I read this topic, I really feel as an IB teacher, the approaches to planning, on some level, is similar as program management.

In program management in companies, when a program assigned or initiated, we need to set up clear objective of the program, and need to define scope and build up program strategy, based on this, we need to analyze the customers' requirements, issues, and past experiences, then organize resources and detailed program plan. Similarly, in IB system, as a teacher, we also need to run this process, which means we need to set up clear learning objectives, building up the appropriate teaching strategies, and considering students' needs, interests, and prior knowledge, then to manage resources to plan in details. Besides, a good approaches planning also means we need to drive students to have critical thinking way, collaboration, and problem solving skills. Especially, teachers need to have the capability to adjust the lessons based on students actual needs, progress, and feedback, so they can plan the approach more efficiently.

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The implementation of a special curriculum for students in international classes at municipal schools in Japan was a major step forward. However, in practice, the focus has mainly been on being flexible to individual needs, while concrete training and practical methods have hardly been provided. Therefore, I have been carrying the heavy burden of preparing for individual needs on my own.

Discovering UDL was meaningful for me. UDL provided clear principles, showing how to design learning from the start to include everyone. This not only reduces the teacher’s burden but also gives students greater opportunities to participate actively in their own learning.

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This article highlights the importance of curriculum mapping and provides guidance on how to approach it effectively. I believe one of the most critical aspects of curriculum planning is understanding students' abilities to ensure that tasks are neither too difficult nor too easy. However, this can be challenging when students in the same class are working at different levels.

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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Curriculum mapping is known as a process indexing or diagraming a curriculum to recognize and address the prevailing academic gaps, redundancies, and misalignments to improve the overall coherence of a course of study and, by extension, its effectiveness.

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Experiential service learning interests me, but I have yet to make it a reality in my classroom. Collaborative learning on the other hand is something I do all the time. This was a refreshing read because it was familiar. The Gradual Release of Responsibility model is how I learned how to teach. It is how I strive to structure my classes. Just like Kolb's learning circle, the four components can happen at any time. The goal in this article is productive group work. There are many great short activities offered to reinforce and refine your students' skills. I actually found this article as a link from the GR of Responsibility page and found it more interesting because it gave practical examples.

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Read this for an abundance of ideas on how to see if your students "getting it." The goal, according to Heick, is not for students to demonstrate highest levels of understanding. He argues that the ability to complete a task is a demonstration of understanding. He then lists thirty six strategies that basically amount to that many great ideas to use in your class.

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by Terry Heick

How can you tell if a student really understands something?

They learn early on to play the game-tell the teacher and/or the test what they 'want to know,' and even the best assessment leaves something on the table. (In truth, a big portion of the time students simply don't know what they don't know.)

The idea of understanding is, of course, at the heart of all learning, and solving it as a puzzle is one of the three pillars of formal learning environments and education.

1. What do they need to understand (standards)?

2. What (and how) do they currently understand (assessment)?

3. How can they best come to understand what they currently do not (planning learning experiences and instruction)?

But how do we know if they know it? And what is 'it'?

On the surface, there is trouble with the word 'it.' Sounds vague. Troublesome. Uncertain. But everyone somehow knows what it is.

'It' is essentially what is to be learned, and it can be a scary thing to both teachers and students. 'It' is everything, described with intimidating terms like objective, target, proficiency, test, exam, grade, fail, and succeed.

And in terms of content, 'it' could be almost anything: a fact, a discovery, a habit, skill, or general concept, from mathematical theory to a scientific process, the importance of a historical figure to an author's purpose in a text.

So if a student gets it, beyond pure academic performance what might they be able to do? There are many existing taxonomies and characteristics, from Bloom's to Understanding by Design's 6 Facets of Understanding.

The following actions are set up as a linear taxonomy, from most basic to the most complex. The best part about it is its simplicity: Most of these actions can be performed simply in the classroom in minutes, and don't require complex planning or an extended exam period.

By using a quick diagram, concept map, t-chart, conversation, picture, or short response in a journal, quick face-to-face collaboration, on an exit slip, or via digital/social media, understanding can be evaluated in minutes, helping to replace testing and consternation with a climate of assessment. It can be even be displayed on a class website or hung in the classroom to help guide self-directed learning, with students checking themselves for understanding.
How This Understanding Taxonomy Works
I'll write more about this soon and put this into a more graphic form soon; both of these are critical in using it. (Update: I'm also creating a course for teachers to help the, use it.) For now, I'll say that it can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning. Or to develop critical thinking questions for any content area.

The 'Heick' learning taxonomy is meant to be simple, arranged as (mostly) isolated tasks that range in complexity from less to more. That said, students needn't demonstrate the 'highest' levels of understanding-that misses the point. Any ability to complete these tasks is a demonstration of understanding. The greater number of tasks the student can complete the better, but all 'boxes checked' are evidence that the student 'gets it.'

36 Thinking Strategies To Help Students Wrestle With Complexity
The Heick Learning Taxonomy Domain 1: The Parts Example Topic
The Revolutionary War
Sample Prompts
Explain the Revolutionary War in simple terms (e.g., an inevitable rebellion that created a new nation).

Identify the major and minor 'parts' of the Revolutionary War (e.g., economics and propaganda, soldiers and tariffs).

Evaluate the Revolutionary War and identify its least and most important characteristics (e.g., caused and effects vs city names and minor skirmishes)
Domain 2: The Whole Domain 3: The Interdependence Domain 4: The Function

1. Apply it in unfamiliar situations

2. Create accurate analogies to convey its function or meaning

3. Analyze the sweet spot of its utility

4. Repurpose it with creativity

5. Know when to use it

6. Plausibly theorize its origins

Domain 5: The Abstraction Domain 6: The Self Advanced Understanding

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6 Domains Of Cognition: The Heick Learning Taxonomy

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The Heick Learning Taxonomy can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning.

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Gradual Release of Responsibilityについて初めて知った。GRRは有能な教師は、すでに日々の実践の中でこの流れを取り入れているのかもしれない。でも、それを明確なモデルとして、視覚化し、言語化して共有できるようにしたという点において、すごい発明だと思った。

ZPDやscaffoldingといった理論は、聞いたことがあっても、抽象的で、実際にどうするのと思ってしまうが、「I do it → We do it → You do it together → You do it alone」というステップで示されるGRRの考え方は、自分の中で非常にしっくりくるものがある。

山本五十六の「やってみせ、言って聞かせて、させてみせ、ほめてやらねば、人は動かじ」に通じるものがあると感じた。

I learned about the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) for the first time.

Skilled teachers may already be incorporating this flow into their daily practice, but I think the act of presenting it as a clear model—making it visible, putting it into words, and sharing it—is a remarkable innovation.

Theories like ZPD or scaffolding are concepts I’ve heard of, but they feel abstract, and I often end up thinking, “So what am I actually supposed to do?” In contrast, the GRR approach, shown through the steps “I do it → We do it → You do it together → You do it alone,” makes intuitive sense to me.

It also reminded me of the words of Isoroku Yamamoto: “Show them how to do it, explain it, let them try, and praise them—otherwise, people won’t move.”

Prompt: Translate this into English without changing the tone or intent or adding any information.

Translated by ChatGPT (GPT-4o), 15 May 2025

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One of the core problems I also had was the different levels of English that was in the classroom. Some students were fluent, some were lacking, and for some students, English was their mother tongue. As such I sometimes found myself lowering the standards of learning to the level of the weakest link the chain so to speak. This caused dissatisfaction for others.

According to UBD that may not have been a good idea, and in retrospect, I agree. An I also agree that I cannot do it alone. The proper implementation of and language skill will require constant up-movement throughout the grades from like-minded instructors. How we get there is the next question.

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The Evolution of Understanding by Design in Diverse Classrooms

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Join us a for a discussion on the ways instructional design is evolving and how Understanding by Design can be adapted in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. Subscribe to the Learn. Teac

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I've put together a topline summary with one evocative quote for this lecture on:

a planning approach and technology that uses MAPPING to organize the content, flow of, integration and assessment of ideas in a given course program.

This particular approach is built around a tech product called CHALK.

After the summary, I've outlined some potential counterpoint issues that teachers or schools implementing this kind of framework should be mindful of.

SUMMARY:

1. Curriculum as a Clear Path

Effective curriculum isn’t a list of topics—it’s a purposeful path guiding students toward deeper learning.

“Curriculum means a path to run in small steps—a course to run.”

2. Map Actively, Not Passively

Curriculum mapping involves active, ongoing review, not just documentation.

“Mapping is a verb. It’s a strategic design and review process.”

3. Students’ Needs Drive All Decisions

Curriculum choices must be guided by what’s best for students—not habit or convenience.

“It should always be in your students’ best interest, not based on habit.”

4. Set Clear Goals (Future-Forward Thinking)

Start by defining clear, future-focused goals to shape your curriculum decisions.

“Future-forward learning goals govern our decisions.”

5. Prioritize Your Standards

Standards aren’t checklists to cover—they’re proficiencies to prioritize and thoughtfully bundle into meaningful units.

“Standards are not a checklist—they’re proficiency targets looking for a place to live.”

6. Fill Gaps Intentionally

Analyze your curriculum closely, vertically and horizontally, to identify and address gaps that could harm student learning.

“The number one reason people start mapping is to do gap analysis.”

7. Avoid Redundant Learning

Curriculum mapping should eliminate unnecessary repetitions and ensure learning grows richer and more complex over time.

“Repeated repetitions are a sign that something’s not quite right.”

8. Seek Authentic Integration

Connections between disciplines should arise naturally and deepen understanding, rather than being artificially forced.

“A forced connection is a contradiction in terms.”

9. Align Assessments with Intent

Align assessments clearly and deliberately with your prioritized standards to ensure meaningful evaluation of student learning.

“We want to bundle standards… so students demonstrate competence clearly.”

10. Keep Curriculum Alive and Relevant

Curriculum mapping isn’t a static document; it should continually evolve to meet changing educational needs and remain relevant.

“Good curriculum maps are timely, responsive, and continually updated.”

CHALLENGES:

Whilst this MAPPING approach and the CHALK platform could be potentialy effective if implemented with a high level of intelligence and integrity, I do think operationalizing it in a real-world (non-ideal) setting could surface potential issues that teachers / schools would need to be mindful of:

While curriculum mapping emphasizes responsiveness, it could become overly rigid, reducing flexibility for spontaneous learning.

Continuous updating could overwhelm resource-strapped teachers.

Pprioritizing standards risks overlooking valuable, less measurable skills.

Heavy focus on gaps could lead to overly dense / complex curricula.

Eliminating redundancy in a mechanistic way and entirely could harm learning reinforcement or be less favorable for students who need more time and repetition for comprehension.

Pressure for interdisciplinary integration might force artificial connections, especially from less educated teachers who don't fully understand conceptual integrity.

Blind alignment of assessments to standards could overlook important, naturally generative learning journeys and the unplanned magic of stochastic outcomes.

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IB1B and IB2A - Some resources to support the topic. Feel free to add things you have run across which might be of interest to others.

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I believe for new IB teachers, this is the most difficult part with planning the unit. This has been very helpful to me because it gave me a guide on how to create LOIs.

In my experience with planning, coordinators would just ask us what our LOIs would be, the key concepts, and related concepts without giving us a guide on how to do things.

As a teacher this kind of guide will make send because it is not just you thinking of what information in isolation but also creating the whole big idea in mind based on the different key concepts and related concepts.

It will take more time and more practice for us to create better lines of inquiry in the future. For know, I am still trying to explore on how things will be easier when it comes to the teacher planning and deliver it in a way that we get to follow the inquiry-based approach through the different learning experiences.

New IB schools would definitely need time to somehow create the foundation and the systems most especially for teaching-learning.

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I am motivated to learn more about the impact of UDL in Public School Districts in the rural Northern California communities (and others) mentioned in this article. It seems likely that educators and administrators would have more flexibility using UDL with CAST in private or Charter schools throughout the US. I wonder what it would take to make the changes motivated educators saw fit in public schools? During the Global Pandemic, worldwide literacy rates, among other disciplines, fell and many students got left behind. In more rural areas, for example, the burdens of financial loss and hardship were heavy for those already exposed to poverty and depravation. In the future, how can UDL impact curriculum design, implementation and teaching in schools districts and schools hardest hit by the pandemic?

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CAST Teams Up with Rural California Schools to Build Bridges for Learning & Healing - CAST

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We’re supporting districts in northern California to recover after learning loss as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded with the devastating wildfires in that region.

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The Heick Learning Taxonomy divides cognition into six domains, each containing six tasks of varying complexity. Students demonstrate their understanding by completing these tasks; the more tasks they complete, the higher their comprehension level. This taxonomy offers teachers a practical framework to assess student understanding, making evaluations clearer and more straightforward. It helps teachers identify students' weak points, providing a basis for adjusting future instruction to better support student learning needs. Xiaojie

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by Terry Heick

How can you tell if a student really understands something?

They learn early on to play the game-tell the teacher and/or the test what they 'want to know,' and even the best assessment leaves something on the table. (In truth, a big portion of the time students simply don't know what they don't know.)

The idea of understanding is, of course, at the heart of all learning, and solving it as a puzzle is one of the three pillars of formal learning environments and education.

1. What do they need to understand (standards)?

2. What (and how) do they currently understand (assessment)?

3. How can they best come to understand what they currently do not (planning learning experiences and instruction)?

But how do we know if they know it? And what is 'it'?

On the surface, there is trouble with the word 'it.' Sounds vague. Troublesome. Uncertain. But everyone somehow knows what it is.

'It' is essentially what is to be learned, and it can be a scary thing to both teachers and students. 'It' is everything, described with intimidating terms like objective, target, proficiency, test, exam, grade, fail, and succeed.

And in terms of content, 'it' could be almost anything: a fact, a discovery, a habit, skill, or general concept, from mathematical theory to a scientific process, the importance of a historical figure to an author's purpose in a text.

So if a student gets it, beyond pure academic performance what might they be able to do? There are many existing taxonomies and characteristics, from Bloom's to Understanding by Design's 6 Facets of Understanding.

The following actions are set up as a linear taxonomy, from most basic to the most complex. The best part about it is its simplicity: Most of these actions can be performed simply in the classroom in minutes, and don't require complex planning or an extended exam period.

By using a quick diagram, concept map, t-chart, conversation, picture, or short response in a journal, quick face-to-face collaboration, on an exit slip, or via digital/social media, understanding can be evaluated in minutes, helping to replace testing and consternation with a climate of assessment. It can be even be displayed on a class website or hung in the classroom to help guide self-directed learning, with students checking themselves for understanding.
How This Understanding Taxonomy Works
I'll write more about this soon and put this into a more graphic form soon; both of these are critical in using it. (Update: I'm also creating a course for teachers to help the, use it.) For now, I'll say that it can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning. Or to develop critical thinking questions for any content area.

The 'Heick' learning taxonomy is meant to be simple, arranged as (mostly) isolated tasks that range in complexity from less to more. That said, students needn't demonstrate the 'highest' levels of understanding-that misses the point. Any ability to complete these tasks is a demonstration of understanding. The greater number of tasks the student can complete the better, but all 'boxes checked' are evidence that the student 'gets it.'

36 Thinking Strategies To Help Students Wrestle With Complexity
The Heick Learning Taxonomy Domain 1: The Parts Example Topic
The Revolutionary War
Sample Prompts
Explain the Revolutionary War in simple terms (e.g., an inevitable rebellion that created a new nation).

Identify the major and minor 'parts' of the Revolutionary War (e.g., economics and propaganda, soldiers and tariffs).

Evaluate the Revolutionary War and identify its least and most important characteristics (e.g., caused and effects vs city names and minor skirmishes)
Domain 2: The Whole Domain 3: The Interdependence Domain 4: The Function

1. Apply it in unfamiliar situations

2. Create accurate analogies to convey its function or meaning

3. Analyze the sweet spot of its utility

4. Repurpose it with creativity

5. Know when to use it

6. Plausibly theorize its origins

Domain 5: The Abstraction Domain 6: The Self Advanced Understanding

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6 Domains Of Cognition: The Heick Learning Taxonomy

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The Heick Learning Taxonomy can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning.

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Concept-based curriculum (CBC) is "an approach to curriculum design that moves away from subject-specific content and instead emphasizes "big ideas" that span multiple subject areas or disciplines."

"In a CBC, students acquire and process factual information through the conceptual level of thinking." The 21st century that is ever-changing and evolving, so the CBC is aimed to prepare students to acquire factual knowledge while also nurturing conceptual thinking that will adapt in the unknown of the future. Conceptual thinking will enable learners to make connections based on prior knowledge, evaluate the truth of their understandings across time and place, and use that understanding to creatively solve problems.

The three dimensions of CBC are know, do, and understand. The CBC pushes educators to answer the central question: Why should students know or be able to do something?

I thought the concepts of CBC are very valid for the 21st century with its constant change. As an educator, ideas and concepts must be broad and transferrable to other subjects to push learners to a higher level of understanding. Theory level was a new concept. I want to know more about curriculum design and think about how I can implement some of these ideas into my current work.

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CBC parallels backwards design. Teachers integrating CBC into their classroom must first think of the higher-level knowledge they want students to gain from instruction. Instruction can be at the unit or course level-or better yet, both! Concepts arise at the unit level but can have an overarching course-level theme.

Think synergy. Developing CBC starts with the higher level knowledge students will gain (the Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions) and then moves to the more topical content and skills that will inform the higher level thinking. Next is identifying how this will be assessed, and determining what mix of assessments will successfully encourage students to think and operate on a conceptual level. Finally, developing CBC moves to the more tactical resources and activities that will be used simulate concept-based instruction.
Example of a concept-based curriculum unit planner:
Getting to Concept-Based Curriculum

We'll say it again, CBC is about getting students to a higher level of thinking. Students will know/do in order to understand...

So, as you work through your unit planning, consider the evolution of skills and content students will need to achieve this level of thinking. More good news...a lot of this leg work has already been done. Webb's DOK Levels and Bloom's Taxonomy offer examples for how student's skills can grow in order to reach higher levels of thinking. Synergy!

Erickson offers an example of how the CBC structure of knowledge works in tandem with Bloom's Taxonomy:

Moreover, as students move through different levels of learning, they are also achieving higher levels of knowledge. For example, a concept-based approach will also change the questions we want students to ask throughout units. Let's return to our earlier example in an elementary Social Studies unit:

A factual question would be: What was the Cold War?

A conceptual question would be: What are examples of prolonged conflict and war currently?

An essential question would be: How do we define conflict?

This level of questioning embodies the journey of students from fact to theory. The integration of factual and conceptual should be a design goal for instruction.

Concept-Based Curriculum and Other Pedagogies

While CBC is an approach to curriculum design that could have its own unit planner, it also melds well with other pedagogies. CBC can be reflected across different approaches to curriculum so long as the curriculum aims to drive students to higher order thinking that grows year to year and is transferrable across subject areas.

For example, Montessori is similar to CBC in that it is also student-driven. Create a conceptual classroom or unit theme and encourage students to relate their work back to it.

Similarly, in an International Baccalaureate context, connect student inquiry to key concepts and overarching themes. At the Diploma Programme level, utilize transfer goals as a place to document the transferrable concepts and understandings (rooted in skills and knowledge) that the units will impart.

In systems such as the IGCSE or AS/A levels, CBC can improve student cognition of aims and assessment objectives by giving students real-life application and higher-level understanding

Concept-based curriculum is a robust approach to curriculum design. The information shared here is derived from H. Lynn Erickson's book Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. As you consider adapting your curriculum to a concept-based approach, remember synergy and higher-level thinking: synergy between different aspects of curriculum and a constant drive to help students see the bigger picture, make connections and inferences, problem solve, and self-reflect in order to think conceptually and apply their learning at a high level.
Learn more about designing curriculum templates to support teaching and learning at your school.

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum - Atlas

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Concept-based curriculum is an approach to curriculum design that emphasizes "big ideas" that span multiple subject areas or disciplines.

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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This article explains the importance of curriculum maps. Curriculum maps have an important role in indicating how teachers should instruct students. Teachers are required to look at their students and think about their learning needs and what materials to use, and constantly review and make changes as necessary. I think that this curriculum map is also showing a guarantee of learning for the students.

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Curriculum mapping is known as a process indexing or diagraming a curriculum to recognize and address the prevailing academic gaps, redundancies, and misalignments to improve the overall coherence of a course of study and, by extension, its effectiveness.

Curriculum mapping is also defined as aligning the learning and teaching standards that demonstrate how well and to what extent has a school or teacher matched the course content that students are taught with the academic expectations and the defined in learning standards.

In simple words, we may refer to the mapping of different elements of a course that are entailed in educating the learners. It may include assessments, textbooks, assignments, lessons, and instructional techniques.

How does a "good" curriculum look like?

In general, a "good" curriculum is:

Well organized and purposefully designed to facilitate effective learning.

Defined objectives and goals.

Have no academic gaps.

No unnecessary repetitions.

Well-aligned across lessons, courses, subject areas, and grade levels.

Curriculum maps are often used by teachers to compare their curriculum with national standards or other educators. Post-comparison, teachers analyze their work and improve their curriculum standards, if required.

In other words, we may say, educators map a curriculum with the sole purpose to make sure their students are taught lessons and subjects that match the academic expectations in a particular subject area or grade level.

There are specific approaches or strategies for developing a curriculum. We can characterize them as a set of objectives that need to be met while mapping a curriculum. They're as follows:

Vertical coherence: A vertically aligned or vertically coherent curriculum cover topics that ensure what students learn in a lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the upcoming lesson, course, or grade level. It aims to provide students with a kind of learning that is purposefully structured and logically sequenced across grade levels to help students build on what they have learned previously and learn the knowledge and skills that will help them prepare for more challenging, higher-level work.

Horizontal coherence: A curriculum is a horizontally aligned or horizontally coherent curriculum when it is similar to the curriculum of an equal lesson, course, or grade level. For example, a grade eight-math class is what other students learn in a different grade, eight class. This process of curriculum mapping aims at evaluating learning achievement and progress based on what has been taught to students previously and on the learning standards that the students are expected to meet in a particular course, subject area, or grade level.

Subject area coherence: Curriculum is coherent within a subject area when students receive similar instruction and learn the very same topics across subject area classes. For example, if a school has two different teachers teaching Grade 7 physics, the learning outcomes should be equal in each class, regardless of the teacher.

Interdisciplinary coherence: A coherent interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on improving altogether, i.e. Teachers from many disciplines (such as mathematics, English, science and history) work together to improve the critical transversal skills students need to thrive in all subjects and levels.

How can teachers build an outstanding curriculum?

Curriculum mapping is not as easy as it may sound; it has many challenges, and, of course, it is tedious work to accomplish. Teachers are required to observe and conduct extensive research in all aspects of curriculum mapping.

To assist you, we have enlisted a few expert pieces of advice.

Understand Students' Abilities

First of all, as a teacher, it is crucial that you have a clear understanding of your students' abilities before planning a program. Collect information about the students, their study styles, behavioural patterns, and more. It will help provide a clear picture of what students need and prepare effective measures for interacting with them.

Work on Student and Institutional Development

Since every administrator has their own way of maintaining a certain institutional culture. They may want their staff and teachers to concentrate on helping students develop their curricular and extra-curricular skills. So, having a conversation with the institution's concerned authorities will be of great help to get a clear idea of what is expected from them as a professional. Such a conversation will help teachers communicate their decisions and ideas and clarify their queries about the school's initiatives that need to be prioritized or rejected in the classroom.

Choose Right Study Materials

No curriculum is complete without textbooks. They are a crucial resource in reaching educational excellence. Textbooks guide to newly appointed teachers. They can provide an essential insight into learning expectations and quality vocabulary content, and various other research-based content. But textbooks cannot gauge the needs of students. That's where teachers can play a big part. First, teachers choose handbooks that address learning needs. They should also maintain flexibility and integrate innovation into day-to-day classroom sessions. It will not only make each lesson lively but also help impart quality education to the students.

Set Pace

It is extremely important to have clear guidelines and a rhythm of work to provide a smoother learning experience. Furthermore, if teachers set high expectations early in the session, this will help increase classroom productivity while setting high expectations for students. It also identifies content that students struggle with. Also, it assists in analyzing and modifying classroom management and teaching strategies to meet students' varied demands.

Establish Learning Expectations

Already mentioned above, it is crucial to know the capabilities of your students; also, have a clear idea of their expectations, learning needs, strengths, weaknesses, and so forth. Each learner learns differently, so you need to differentiate learning materials based on learner needs. Accordingly, make sure that each student gets much access to the content and equal attention during the session.

Provide Flexibility
A Hypothetical A.A. Arts Program  Curriculum Mapping Example (John Carroll University) Curriculum Map Guidelines - University of West Florida University of Illinois Springfield
Curriculum flexibility is a necessity. There are possibilities that you may have difficulty preparing lesson plans and giving ample time at some point. Former teachers may also experience similar problems. Therefore, you must always accept flexibility and adapt to changes without effort.

You should also be open to rejecting and replacing unnecessary lesson plans and adjusting lessons in a way that engages and interests learners.

Also, you can look at these excellent examples to get more ideas:

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers - EdTechReview

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Curriculum mapping is known as a process indexing or diagraming a curriculum to recognize and address the prevailing academic gaps

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Universal Design Learning is the learning approach for everyone that has different backgrounds, curiosity, strengths and needs etc. We all have unique characteristics, and we have different ways of learning as well, so UDL would be the ideal style to adapt diversity and inclusive world. I think part of the learning approach is similar to translanguaging in that students research or read in different ways and collaborate with others to help everyone understand on their own. It seemed challenging because I couldn't imagine how to implement at this moment, but at the same time, I thought it's worth trying. Mai

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This article describes concept-based curriculum (CBC). It is an approach to curriculum design that moves away from traditional subject-specific content and focuses on 'big ideas' across multiple subjects and disciplines.

According to Ericsson, CBC states that is the key to intellectual development lies in the interaction of factual and conceptual level thinking'. Synergy refers to an interaction that produces a greater effect than the single elements; in CBC, students acquire and process factual information through conceptual-level thinking.

- Facts - topics - concepts - generalisation principles - theory relationship to other pedagogies

A powerful approach to help students understand big ideas and develop their thinking across subjects This idea is widely used in the IB. Erina

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CBC parallels backwards design. Teachers integrating CBC into their classroom must first think of the higher-level knowledge they want students to gain from instruction. Instruction can be at the unit or course level-or better yet, both! Concepts arise at the unit level but can have an overarching course-level theme.

Think synergy. Developing CBC starts with the higher level knowledge students will gain (the Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions) and then moves to the more topical content and skills that will inform the higher level thinking. Next is identifying how this will be assessed, and determining what mix of assessments will successfully encourage students to think and operate on a conceptual level. Finally, developing CBC moves to the more tactical resources and activities that will be used simulate concept-based instruction.
Example of a concept-based curriculum unit planner:
Getting to Concept-Based Curriculum

We'll say it again, CBC is about getting students to a higher level of thinking. Students will know/do in order to understand...

So, as you work through your unit planning, consider the evolution of skills and content students will need to achieve this level of thinking. More good news...a lot of this leg work has already been done. Webb's DOK Levels and Bloom's Taxonomy offer examples for how student's skills can grow in order to reach higher levels of thinking. Synergy!

Erickson offers an example of how the CBC structure of knowledge works in tandem with Bloom's Taxonomy:

Moreover, as students move through different levels of learning, they are also achieving higher levels of knowledge. For example, a concept-based approach will also change the questions we want students to ask throughout units. Let's return to our earlier example in an elementary Social Studies unit:

A factual question would be: What was the Cold War?

A conceptual question would be: What are examples of prolonged conflict and war currently?

An essential question would be: How do we define conflict?

This level of questioning embodies the journey of students from fact to theory. The integration of factual and conceptual should be a design goal for instruction.

Concept-Based Curriculum and Other Pedagogies

While CBC is an approach to curriculum design that could have its own unit planner, it also melds well with other pedagogies. CBC can be reflected across different approaches to curriculum so long as the curriculum aims to drive students to higher order thinking that grows year to year and is transferrable across subject areas.

For example, Montessori is similar to CBC in that it is also student-driven. Create a conceptual classroom or unit theme and encourage students to relate their work back to it.

Similarly, in an International Baccalaureate context, connect student inquiry to key concepts and overarching themes. At the Diploma Programme level, utilize transfer goals as a place to document the transferrable concepts and understandings (rooted in skills and knowledge) that the units will impart.

In systems such as the IGCSE or AS/A levels, CBC can improve student cognition of aims and assessment objectives by giving students real-life application and higher-level understanding

Concept-based curriculum is a robust approach to curriculum design. The information shared here is derived from H. Lynn Erickson's book Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. As you consider adapting your curriculum to a concept-based approach, remember synergy and higher-level thinking: synergy between different aspects of curriculum and a constant drive to help students see the bigger picture, make connections and inferences, problem solve, and self-reflect in order to think conceptually and apply their learning at a high level.
Learn more about designing curriculum templates to support teaching and learning at your school.

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum - Atlas

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Concept-based curriculum is an approach to curriculum design that emphasizes "big ideas" that span multiple subject areas or disciplines.

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6 Domains of Cognition: THe Heick Learning Taxonomy

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6 Domains of Cognition: THe Heick Learning Taxonomy

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The article begins with a question that all teachers wonder at one point or another, "How can you tell if a student really understands something?"

There are 6 domains of cognition, Parts, Abstraction, Self, Function, Whole, and Interdependence. Although the terminology used is different, it is very similar to that of Melinda Miller's Framework. Melinda Miller's Framework is much more useful as it is in a rubric with three stages: "reacting," "elaborating," and "reconstructing." On the other hand, the Heick Learning Taxonomy is not as simple as Miller's. However, it points out a domain a student has strengths or weaknesses in, which allows us teachers to tell if a student really understands something and at what level (depth) he/she understands it.

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by Terry Heick

How can you tell if a student really understands something?

They learn early on to play the game-tell the teacher and/or the test what they 'want to know,' and even the best assessment leaves something on the table. (In truth, a big portion of the time students simply don't know what they don't know.)

The idea of understanding is, of course, at the heart of all learning, and solving it as a puzzle is one of the three pillars of formal learning environments and education.

1. What do they need to understand (standards)?

2. What (and how) do they currently understand (assessment)?

3. How can they best come to understand what they currently do not (planning learning experiences and instruction)?

But how do we know if they know it? And what is 'it'?

On the surface, there is trouble with the word 'it.' Sounds vague. Troublesome. Uncertain. But everyone somehow knows what it is.

'It' is essentially what is to be learned, and it can be a scary thing to both teachers and students. 'It' is everything, described with intimidating terms like objective, target, proficiency, test, exam, grade, fail, and succeed.

And in terms of content, 'it' could be almost anything: a fact, a discovery, a habit, skill, or general concept, from mathematical theory to a scientific process, the importance of a historical figure to an author's purpose in a text.

So if a student gets it, beyond pure academic performance what might they be able to do? There are many existing taxonomies and characteristics, from Bloom's to Understanding by Design's 6 Facets of Understanding.

The following actions are set up as a linear taxonomy, from most basic to the most complex. The best part about it is its simplicity: Most of these actions can be performed simply in the classroom in minutes, and don't require complex planning or an extended exam period.

By using a quick diagram, concept map, t-chart, conversation, picture, or short response in a journal, quick face-to-face collaboration, on an exit slip, or via digital/social media, understanding can be evaluated in minutes, helping to replace testing and consternation with a climate of assessment. It can be even be displayed on a class website or hung in the classroom to help guide self-directed learning, with students checking themselves for understanding.
How This Understanding Taxonomy Works
I'll write more about this soon and put this into a more graphic form soon; both of these are critical in using it. (Update: I'm also creating a course for teachers to help the, use it.) For now, I'll say that it can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning. Or to develop critical thinking questions for any content area.

The 'Heick' learning taxonomy is meant to be simple, arranged as (mostly) isolated tasks that range in complexity from less to more. That said, students needn't demonstrate the 'highest' levels of understanding-that misses the point. Any ability to complete these tasks is a demonstration of understanding. The greater number of tasks the student can complete the better, but all 'boxes checked' are evidence that the student 'gets it.'

36 Thinking Strategies To Help Students Wrestle With Complexity
The Heick Learning Taxonomy Domain 1: The Parts Example Topic
The Revolutionary War
Sample Prompts
Explain the Revolutionary War in simple terms (e.g., an inevitable rebellion that created a new nation).

Identify the major and minor 'parts' of the Revolutionary War (e.g., economics and propaganda, soldiers and tariffs).

Evaluate the Revolutionary War and identify its least and most important characteristics (e.g., caused and effects vs city names and minor skirmishes)
Domain 2: The Whole Domain 3: The Interdependence Domain 4: The Function

1. Apply it in unfamiliar situations

2. Create accurate analogies to convey its function or meaning

3. Analyze the sweet spot of its utility

4. Repurpose it with creativity

5. Know when to use it

6. Plausibly theorize its origins

Domain 5: The Abstraction Domain 6: The Self Advanced Understanding

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6 Domains Of Cognition: The Heick Learning Taxonomy

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The Heick Learning Taxonomy can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning.

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This video provides a concise explanation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). By incorporating UDL, barriers to learning can be minimized, maximizing student learning. There is diversity in the classroom, for instance, in students' interests, strengths and weaknesses in different subjects, and preferences in learning styles. Given such diversity, integrating UDL ensures that not only a specific group of skilled students benefits from learning, but everyone can learn. UDL is not just for students with disabilities or difficulties; it is for all students. The phrase at the end of the video, "Universal Design for Learning = Learning Opportunities for All," truly captures the essence of UDL.

-Masami

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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This article was an interesting presentation of how we can use curriculum mapping to to better teach objectives that are found in a school or national curriculum.

The tips for making an outstanding curriculum were very interesting:
1. Understand Students' Abilities
2. Work on Student and Institutional Development
3. Choose Right Study Materials
4. Set Pace
5. Establish Learning Expectations
6. Provide Flexibility

The curriculum mapping visual and video were very helpful in explaining how to use a curriculum map to align with given standards.

I remember learning some on this topic when I was teaching in the US, but there is still so much I don't know and want to understand on how to use this.

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English Language Arts (ELA) Instruction FrameworK

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English Language Arts (ELA) Instruction FrameworK

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The provided webpage is the English Language Arts (ELA) Instruction Framework by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The framework serves as a guide for educators in designing effective ELA instruction in Wisconsin schools. It emphasizes the importance of fostering literacy skills, critical thinking, and effective communication.

The framework emphasizes important ELA curriculum elements like reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It places a focus on integrating these skills across subject areas and on using authentic texts and practical applications to keep students interested.

The importance of equity and inclusion in ELA instruction is also emphasized in the DPI ELA Instruction Framework. It motivates teachers to establish a welcoming, culturally sensitive learning environment that respects and cherishes the varied experiences and backgrounds of students.

The framework offers a guide for instructional planning that takes standards, assessment techniques, and instructional resources into consideration. It focuses on the significance of continual professional development for assisting teachers in executing successful ELA lessons.

Overall, the DPI ELA education Framework encourages a thorough and pupil-centered approach to ELA education with the goal of fostering in students' literacy skills, critical thinking capacities, and effective communication in a varied and inclusive learning environment.

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum

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This article dives into the idea of Concept-Based Learning, particularly from the perspective of Understanding by Design (UbD). So, instead of focusing on specific subjects, Concept-Based Curriculum (CBC) emphasizes those "big ideas" that connect different subjects together. It's all about getting students to think critically and deeply, preparing them for the challenges of the 21st century.

With CBC, the goal is to help students not only acquire knowledge but also apply it and understand it on a broader level. It's about going beyond memorizing facts and delving into the underlying concepts and principles. This approach requires students to think at a higher level, connecting the dots between different subjects and seeing the bigger picture.

To implement CBC effectively, educators start by identifying the key higher-level knowledge they want students to gain. Then they design the curriculum around those concepts, incorporating relevant content, assessments, and resources.

CBC promotes synergy between factual information and conceptual understanding. It pushes students to think critically, solve problems creatively, and reflect on their learning. By embracing CBC, we can equip students with the skills they need to succeed in the complex world we live in.

This article gave me a lot of food for thought on how I should plan my curriculum and make sure that I do it prior to implementation. I do often start with the assessment/goal in mind, but it can sometimes get lost or we don't achieve it if I haven't properly planned prior to implementation. This often happens due to time restraints especially in the first school semester. So, I tend to always be adjusting my expectations. The article gave some good examples of how to plan backwards in order for students to achieve conceptual understanding of the topic.

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9 Ways to Plan Transformational Lessons: Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever

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9 Ways to Plan Transformational Lessons: Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever

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It's really nice to read how can teachers actually implement transformational lessons in the classroom. I always liked Edutopia articles because they are meant to be straightforward and not ramble too long about educational theories that span 30 pages. I have done a lot of the things that the article suggested to plan transformational lessons, but I really want to try some for the first time in my class. These include writing objectives for students to read so that they will know the "Why" behind their learning. I will also allow students to attempt doing more think-pair-share discussions. I realize that this can be more accommodating to students who are slightly hesitant to share their ideas immediately after I pose a question. I also am sometimes guilty of one thing that the article mentions. Often times when students struggle, I tend to lower my expectations of them in my next lessons. However, I realize that sometimes students simply need more scaffolding and more time to comprehend a given material. I think this will be beneficial for them in the long run because it increases their self-confidence to complete tasks that initially might seem very challenging.

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It excites me a lot to see the UDL guidelines again because I have actually done a two month long professional development at my school to implement the UDL guidelines. I would like to comment that a lot of the content inside this page might seem highly theoretical and  containing hard-to-decipher academic vocabulary. Nevertheless, every single concept outlined in the UDL guideline can be translated and understood within any local school context. For example, when teachers need to provide options for recruiting interest, one of the outlined methods is to minimize threats and distractions. In my school for example, a classroom teacher outlined that one major distraction for her students would be that her classroom is actually located right next to the music room and hence the consistent noise from the music room has a detrimental impact on her students' concentration. This matter has been brought up to our administration and hence her classroom will be moved to a different room next year. However, the focal point of our UDL professional development is to develop a choice board that will work across all divisions of the grade 4 classrooms. We developed a choice board and we're given two months to implement it. And then we came back and presented our findings to the entire school using a presentation which I will provide the link for down below.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DpKRvILTpz_9zs8KwvolQ3e4FxpCaOi_HJOSe8uMxLM/edit?usp=sharing

Looking back on it, it was extremely nice to reflect and act on what we as teachers can do to maximize the students' potential if we provide more and more options for them to express their learning and understanding. Providing options, essentially, is what UDL is all about.

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This is a video on mapping homeschool curricula. Though it is short and for a specific purpose, I think this video touches on ideas that all teachers should keep in mind.

In short, mapping one's curriculum before a semester begins can be a helpful guide throughout the coming weeks. This is something that I've tried to do in my university classes. Since we had a long spring break, I tried to plan and prepare all of my materials before the semester began. I wasn't able to do this for all classes, and I've noticed a difference in the classes I planned completely and the classes I planned minimally. The classes where I planned more are my favorites and the ones I feel the most confident in teaching. I often make adjustments to my materials before I teach them, but having a topic chosen and fleshed out through assignments means that my adjustments are minimal. I can begin these classes knowing that I had enough time to make the changes I needed.

Meanwhile, in classes where I didn't plan completely, I often have to plan a lesson with minimal information on what exactly we'll do in class that day, and this makes me feel like I'm just improvising.

I'm searching for ways to make my planning more efficient so I can plan better for all of my classes. Planning, especially when you need to find your own materials, is time consuming, and I'm figuring out how to use a combination of textbooks and my own ideas to streamline my curricula.

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This video explains Universal Design for Learning, a mindset that teachers can bring into their curriculum design to minimize barriers. This term can be understood by unpacking the three key words:

Universal - A curriculum that offers students opportunities to express their own strengths throughout the curriculum.

Learning - Understood as "the what," "the how," and "the why." Ideal curriculum design should focus on helping students explore all three areas.

Design - If you design a building with features such as curb cuts and ramps, it serves people in wheelchairs and also anyone using a stroller or cart. In the same way, designing one's curriculum for marginalized students can also help non-marginalized students.

This is actually an idea I've been interested in for a while, but I never knew there was a term for this kind of curriculum design before today. Since I want to teach literature, I'm always thinking about how I can break barriers for students regarding language. For example, my younger brothers have dyslexia, so I've been looking in to how I can provide resources such as audio books for students so that written language isn't a barrier to information. From now, I'd like to explore how universal teaching can fit into very non-universal assessment. For example, when writing essays, students need to cite their sources, and this includes doing things such as mentioning which page a quote was taken from. How can you do this if you were listening to a text via audio?

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? + Tips For Teachers

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I don't know the specific difference between curriculum mapping and curriculum planning. Are they the same thing? In my opinion, curriculum mapping is like using a visual way (such as a diagram) to describe the course. Other than that, are there any other differences? I may not fully understand what curriculum mapping is.

I have doubts about another point in the article: the article mentions: "No curriculum is complete without textbooks." . But as far as I understand, IB (especially the lower grades) doesn't have textbooks. I would like to ask why it is?

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum

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A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum

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By reading this article, I understand another new term: CBC - Concept Based Learning and Curriculum.The author points out the difference between CBC and traditional teaching methods in the article. Traditional pedagogy places more emphasis on the rote memorization of single pairs of facts and concepts rather than their practical application, but CBC adds a process of reflection, how true understanding is and how it feeds into today's social activities and life. I think this is the biggest difference between the two.Classrooms in Chinese public schools are more traditional teaching methods. Although some foreign teaching theories and practical applications have been gradually absorbed, they are very limited. There are many, many reasons for this. Of course, I'm not simply saying which is bad or which is better. I think, in the future study, I will have a deeper understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of these two teaching methods.

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Wakelet collection - Approaches to planning

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Wakelet collection - Approaches to planning

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Wakelet - Save, organize and share content

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Save, organize and share content from across the web with Wakelet. Save articles, videos, images, Tweets and more, organize them into stunning collections, and revisit them anywhere, anytime.